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H. L. GRIFFIS. PLAYING O-ARD.

No. 603,186. Patented Apr. 26, 1898.

' UNITED STATES PATENT- OFFICE.

HENRY L. GRIFFIS, OF NEW PALTZ, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO v JACOB DEYO, OF SAME PLACE.

PLAYING-CARD.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 603,186, dated April 26, 1898. Application filed March 20,1s9i. serial No. 628,50 on specimens.)

New York, have invented certain new andv useful Improvements in Playing-Cards; and

I do declare the following to be a full, clear, andexact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

It is often noticeable in playing-cards that they tend to stick together when shufliing,and more so when the cards are old. The cause of it is the air-suction which occurs between the cards whenever an effort is made to separate them. This suction is caused by the smooth,broad, and unbroken contact-surfaces of the cards, which prevent the free entrance of air between them. Another difficulty arising from the same cause is the tendency of the cards when thrown down on the table to cards and the table, so that the former will float on the film and slide off the table.

The object of my invention is to overcome these difficulties by perforating, and thereby ventilating, the cards in order to break up the V continuity of the contact-surfaces, whereby the air will be allowed to pass through the cards to prevent suction or floating.

In the accompanying drawings,Figure 1 represents a portion of a pack of ordinary playing-cards provided with my invention, and Fig. 2 a transverse section of an individual card.

The reference-letter a represents one member of an ordinary pack of playing -cards. This member consists of a common solid integral card the opposite exterior faces of which are smooth. Through this card are made a, plurality of transverse ventilating perforations 1), formed by punching out with dies or by any other suitable means. The

terms solid integral are employed in contradistinction to those playing-cards in which each card comprises two separate sides held together by rivets and having a hollow space between the sides and in which an-indicator is located. In order to distribute these perforations over the surface of the cards to ,will take place at all parts of the surface.

From the foregoing construction it will be apparent that the shufflingand manipulation of the cards can be performed with much greater facility, for when they are held edgewise in the hand and allowed to fall apart they will do so much more readily and will not cling to each other, as heretofore. The floating mentioned will also be largely overcome and the cards less likely to slide off the table while being dealt.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

, 1. Aplaying-card provided with a plurality of transverse apertures through its body to admit the circulation of air, said apertures being arranged at the four corners of a quadrangle with one aperture in the middle thereof, substantiallyas described. 7

2. A set of playing-cards in which each individual member is provided with a plurality of regularly-disposed ventilating-holes through its body, substantially as described.

3. A playing card having a plurality of ventilating-holes distributed through its body portion, substantially as described.

In witness whereof I afiix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

HENRY L. GRIFFIS.

Witnesses:

JACOB DEYO, J ssE ETTING. 

